Digital Commons Network^™

High School Students As Citizen Scientists To Decrease Radon Exposure, Ellen J. Hahn, Craig Wilmhoff, Mary Kay Rayens, Nicholas B. Conley, Emily Morris, Angela Larck, Trista Allen, Susan M. Pinney

Nursing Faculty Publications

Residents in rural Kentucky (KY) and suburban Ohio (OH) expressed concerns about radon exposure and lung cancer. Although 85% of lung cancer cases are caused by tobacco smoke, radon exposure accounts for 10–15% of lung cancer cases. Academic and community members from the University of KY and the University of Cincinnati developed and pilot-tested a family-centered, youth-engaged home radon testing toolkit. The radon toolkit included radon information, and how to test, interpret, and report back findings. We educated youth as citizen scientists and their teachers in human subjects protection and home radon testing using the toolkit in the classroom. Youth …

Radon Potential, Geologic Formations, And Lung Cancer Risk, Ellen J. Hahn, Yevgeniya Gokun, William M. Andrews Jr., Bethany L. Overfield, Heather Robertson, Amanda T. Wiggins, Mary Kay Rayens

Nursing Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: Exposure to radon is associated with approximately 10% of U.S. lung cancer cases. Geologic rock units have varying concentrations of uranium, producing fluctuating amounts of radon. This exploratory study examined the spatial and statistical associations between radon values and geological formations to illustrate potential population-level lung cancer risk from radon exposure.

METHOD: This was a secondary data analysis of observed radon values collected in 1987 from homes (N = 309) in Kentucky and geologic rock formation data from the Kentucky Geological Survey. Radon value locations were plotted on digital geologic maps using ArcGIS and linked to specific geologic map …